This book provides forms for many of the categories of expenses, receipts, labor, and
financial summaries needed by most agricultural related businesses using cash accounting
methods. Column headings are included for major items with some columns
remaining blank for your own headings.

Grain and soybean production is a critical component
of Virginia agriculture — the state’s No. 1 industry
(VDACS 2013). Virginia’s farmers produced more
than half a billion bushels of grain and soybeans over
the span of 2006 to 2012 (USDA-NASS 2013b)1. The
objectives of this publication are to characterize the
market for grain production and storage in Virginia.

Did you know that farmers who sell unprocessed foods
to retail outlets typically receive just 11.6 cents of each
dollar the consumer spends on food? The remaining
amount is allocated to industry groups such as food
processors, packaging and transportation, retail trade,
food services, energy, finance and insurance, and
legal services

There are many factors to consider before you start a new farm enterprise.
Labor issues are often underemphasized in the decision-making processes of
beginning farmers. It is important to consider who you will hire, where you
will find help, how you will manage your employees, and what legal matters
are relevant to your farm.

Starting a farm is an exciting yet challenging opportunity.
As with any new undertaking, there is a lot to
think about before beginning a farm venture. Gaining
access to farmland, viable markets, capital and credit,
as well as hands-on training and resources are some of
the most important startup issues to consider as part of
the planning process.
You are likely asking yourself, “Where do I begin?”
The purpose of this resource is to help newcomers make
informed decisions at the start of the planning process.
This “quick guide” is primarily designed for beginning
farmers and ranchers, but service providers will also
find this resource useful for answering questions about
the farm startup process. This foundational work offers
a valuable starting point on which to create a successful
whole farm plan for a new agricultural venture.

With funding from the USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program in fall 2010, the Virginia Beginning Farmer and Rancher Coalition Program aims to meet the expressed needs of Virginia’s beginning farmers and support the development of social networks through which they can gain vital skills, information, technical assistance, and business capacity for long-term agricultural viability (see www.vabeginningfarmer.org).

There appears to be a lack of published research study data on consumer motivations for purchasing local produce in Virginia. Additionally, the level of consumer awareness of labels such as “local,” “pesticide-free,” “certified organic,” “grown in Virginia,” or “superfood,” and the influence such labels have on purchasing decisions in Virginia has not been previously researched.

You are likely asking yourself, “Where do I begin?” The purpose of this tool is to help you gather a solid basis of information as you consider your “start-up” situation. Once you have completed as much as you can of this worksheet (or if you have any questions along the way), please bring it to your local Virginia Cooperative Extension office to get guidance on where to go next: http://www.ext.vt.edu/offices/index.html. Good Luck! We look forward to helping you bring your farm vision to life!

The Vineyard Financial Calculator is an educational tool that is useful for comparing the financial performance of different vineyard operational scenarios. This tool's intended user is an individual or organization exploring the financial requirements of vineyard establishment and operation in Virginia. The tool was designed to forecast the approximate pretax annual cash inflows and outflows of a vineyard − information required to build a business prospectus. Users can modify certain input variables, such as vineyard size and labor costs, as well as outputs, such as crop level, to tailor the projections to personal expectations. The VFC is only a predictive tool; actual results could vary from those predicted due to site conditions, variances in costs, or unanticipated gains or losses.

Virginia farmers sell their produce through many venues including on-farm sales, farm stands, and farmers’ markets. Wherever the produce is sold, it must be sold by weight, count, head/bunch, or dry measure. If the produce is sold by weight, the produce will be weighed on scales that have been certified by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Office of Weights and Measures.

Dairy farmers are usually subject to net income fluctuations
due to volatility in both milk and feed prices.
Risk management tools, such as hedging milk prices in
the futures market, may be used to protect dairy farmers
against milk price volatility. Alternatively, dairy
farmers selling milk in Virginia can buy Virginia milk
commission base (MCB) to obtain higher milk prices
and, therefore, sustain or increase net cash flows.